Rotor Balancing / Vibration Measurements

A high potential for optimal
operation of wind turbines is linked to the right rotor adjustment and balance.
A
major cause of the dynamic problems found in
wind turbines today is rotor imbalance.

Routine inspections have
shown that approximately 30 percent of the wind turbines, inspected without special
cause, exceed the limit value for rotor imbalance.

Rotor imbalances may have
different origins. They can be caused either by an uneven distribution of the
rotor mass, called mass imbalance, or by deviations of the aerodynamic
properties of the blades, such as different settings for the individual blade
angles, called aerodynamic imbalance.

Since rotor imbalances pose
a serious threat to service life and energy yield of the wind turbine,
it is highly recommended that operators should routinely check their turbines
for both mass and aerodynamic imbalances.

Mass imbalances are
corrected by attaching balancing weights to the rotor. Aerodynamic
imbalances caused by blade angle deviation can be corrected by adjusting the
blade pitch angles. Applying appropriate correctivemeasures
will lower the dynamic loads, increase the service life of the turbine
components, improve performance, and increase turbine availability.

BerlinWind staff has been
performing successful dynamic rotor balancing for many years. We have been
developing efficient measurement and evaluation procedures including our own
software and hardware. Clients benefit from excellent knowledge on the dynamic
behaviour of many different turbine types.